News of the Day From Across the Globe

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11:27 pm PST, Sunday, December 16, 2012

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1 Airport attack: Pakistani security forces cornered the last members of a group of Taliban militants who staged a deadly raid on an airport in Peshawar, and all five died in the ensuing firefight Sunday, officials said. Another five of the militants who attacked the military section of the airport Saturday night with rockets and car bombs were killed during the assault. Peshawar has frequently been targeted, but Saturday was the first strike against the airport, which is jointly used by the air force and civilian authorities.

2Bahrain unrest: Police in Bahrain fired tear gas Sunday at antigovernment protesters who took to the streets after an annual address by the Gulf nation's king, activists said. The clashes took place shortly after King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa called for unity on the kingdom's national day. There has been almost two years of unrest between the Sunni monarchy and the country's majority Shiites, who are seeking greater political power.

3 Gay rights: Activists angered by Pope Benedict XVI's recent criticism of same-sex marriage held a small protest in St. Peter's Square during the pontiff's weekly address Sunday. The protesters carried signs in several languages, including ones saying "Marriage for All" and "Homophobia (equals) death." An Associated Press journalist saw police seize placards from four of the protesters. On Friday, the pontiff called gay marriage and abortion threats to peace.

4 South Africa politics: President Jacob Zuma acknowledged Sunday that corruption and violence have marred the image of the African National Congress under his watch, but he called on members to again support him to be the political party's leader. Some 4,000 delegates gathered for the start of the ANC's Mangaung conference, being held in the city also known as Bloemfontein. Zuma remains the favorite to lead the party.

5 Boycott: Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayyad called Sunday for a boycott of Israeli products to protest Israel's withholding of funds to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority. Israel is holding $100 million in taxes it normally transfers to the Palestinians. It cut off the funds after the Palestinians won non-state observer status at the United Nations last month.

6 Iraq violence: Bombings rattled two cities in disputed areas in Iraq's north on Sunday, killing at least eight people. Six died in a series of blasts at Shiite Muslim targets in Kirkuk, which is home to a mix of Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen who all have competing claims to the oil-rich area. Bombings targeting Shiite sites are typically the work of Sunni Arab extremists. Earlier Sunday, an explosion in Jalula killed two.

7 Citizenship renounced: Gerard Depardieu, one of France's best-known actors, has chastised his country's Socialist prime minister for insulting remarks over his decision to move to tax-friendly Belgium and said in an open letter published Sunday that he's turning in his passport. Last week, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault called Depardieu "pathetic" and "unpatriotic" for the actor's decision to move. President Francois Hollande plans to levy a 75 percent tax on revenue more than 1 million euros. Depardieu said in the letter that he is leaving his country because the government "considers that success, creation, talent ... should be sanctioned."